FURIOUS relatives last night slammed a “hellhole” hospital trust after shocking failures in care saw one patient starve to death and ­others left to die in agony.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said he was “disgusted and appalled” by the scandal.

And the trust is set to apologise to 38 families over a lack of basic ­treatment and has paid out more than £400,000 in compensation.

The shocking catalogue of neglect by Worcestershire Acute NHS ­Hospital Trust included an 84-year-old man who died of starvation after he was prescribed a special diet but was not fed properly.

Patients were left thirsty with drinks placed out of reach with ­others left to sit in their own mess.

The devastating claims covered 35 cases at the Alexandra Hospital in Redditch, and three at the Worcestershire Royal Hospital between 2002 and 2011.

Now, following successful legal action, the trust will apologise to the families of the 38 who suffered what human rights lawyers have called “appalling” failures of care.

Lawyer Emma Jones said: “The failings we uncovered were appalling. Vulnerable and elderly patients were left starving and thirsty, with drinks left out of reach, buzzers ignored and people not being taken to the toilet and instead left to sit in their own faeces by the very people meant to be caring for them.”

Lawyers started a class action 15 months ago after failings in basic day-to-day care were highlighted in a report by health watchdog the Care and Quality Commission.

The failings have been described as one of the worst examples of neglect in NHS history.

Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust did not admit liability but took the unusual step of ­apologising to the families.

It paid out £410,000 and will explain the failings in each case in letters of apology to each family.

The cases include Colin White, 73, who was admitted to the Alexandra Hospital with liver problems in July 2009. He died there three months later. His daughter Kim, who lives in Gloucester, said he was not fed properly and on one occasion was left lying in soiled bedding. She said: “One of the last things he said was, ‘Get me out of this hellhole.’”

Former nurse Patricia Brindle, 86, was allegedly left unwashed for 11 weeks.

Widow Sonya Grande said her father-of-four husband Chris, 35, who had muscular atrophy, starved to death because staff did not know how to fit a feeding tube.

Dementia sufferer Lois Smith, 94, was left permanently unable to walk after doctors failed to notice for two?and-a-half weeks that she had broken her hip.

And Laurence Hodges, 73, had his ribs broken when staff used a hoist to pull him out of bed. His wife Patricia said that despite his pain he was given only aspirin at first.

Patients were left thirsty with drinks placed out of reach with ­others left to sit in their own mess

Mr Hunt said: “I am disgusted and appalled to read these accounts of what patients and their relatives went through.”

Worcestershire Acute Hospital Trust said: “While the trust has accepted that certain aspects of the care afforded to some patients fell below the standard that they were entitled to expect, all of the cases cited are several years old, in many incidences more than a ­decade old.

“This trust now has the sixth best standard hospital mortality index in the Midlands and East Strategic Health area based on 2012/13 figures which put the figure at 97 – below the national average.

“A number of very serious allegations made by the families of deceased patients are not borne out by the medical records.

“Nevertheless, the trust accepts that the care afforded to some patients, some years ago – between 2002 and 2009 – fell below the ­requisite standard and has apologised for the shortcomings.”